Too Close for Comfort
by Casa Circe
Summary: ZUTARA WEEK 2010 Day Three: Pain. After watching "The Ember Island Players", no one is in the mood for teasing. But a little slip of the tongue leads to the painful realization that the play was more accurate than they were willing to admit.


**ZUTARA WEEK 2010: Day 3: PAIN**

**Too Close for Comfort**

**Disclaimer: **_**Avatar: the Last Airbender **_**belongs to Bryke, but Zutara week belongs to all Zutarians.**

_**NOTE: Set after "The Ember Island Players". I wanted it to be funny but I guess with a prompt like this, one cannot avoid being serious. And then, it became really cheesy, so forgive me for that.**_

_**Hope you like it, nevertheless.**_

"Watching that was even more painful than listening to Zuko and Katara's jokes," Sokka commented wryly as the group returned to their quarters in Zuko's family rest house.

Zuko and Katara threw him resentful glares but the general consensus was that the firebender and waterbender failed at telling jokes.

"Hey," Sokka told them defensively, "don't blame me if you don't have the gift of comedy."

The two benders in question frowned at this while the others simply laughed at its truth.

Even after they had decided to forget about the pathetic play, they could not help but continue discussing it once they reached home. It was too odious and ridiculous to be ignored. But they focused least on the final act, and the disturbing plot they did not wish to consider as a possible future.

"Speaking of the two of you," Toph commented remembering a controversial part of the play, "what was that part in Ba Sing Se all about, huh?"

Suddenly, all eyes were on the two benders who looked at each other momentarily before looking away, blushing slightly. They then sported expressions of outrage and incredulity.

"What are you talking about, Toph?" Katara asked indignantly.

"Surely, you didn't take that part seriously," Zuko protested as well.

But the others were not convinced by this, and they were all suddenly curious about what had really transpired in the crystal catacombs. Katara and Zuko certainly never talked about that incident. As far as they were concerned, that chapter was closed.

"I don't know," Sokka said, rubbing his chin pensively, "everything in the play up until the day of the comet was pretty accurate."

"You guys just don't want to admit it," Toph teased.

Aang was looking at the pair suspiciously but said nothing. He was waiting in suspense for them to confirm or deny what had happened.

"Well, it was nothing like that, ok?" Katara said defensively, blushing in embarrassment as she remembered the shameless way the actress-her had spoke to the actor-Zuko, "I don't even know where the writers of that stupid play got such a ridiculous idea!"

"It was obviously just a gimmick they put there to make the story more appealing to the crowd," Zuko added, though he could not help but feel embarrassed as well.

"Well, Toph?" Sokka asked the earthbender, "are they telling the truth?"

The earthbender frowned a bit but then nodded reluctantly.

"But you're still hiding something," the earthbender said, "I can feel it."

Zuko rolled his eyes and Katara threw her hands up in exasperation.

"Listen, we don't need to fight over this," Suki said diplomatically, trying to avoid trouble, "it's done and over with anyway."

"Thank you!" Zuko and Katara said simultaneously.

"How about this," Sokka offered, still unwilling to drop the matter, "why don't you just tell us what really happened, ok? Then, we can call it a night."

Zuko and Katara looked at the Water Tribe boy angrily but decided that they might as well just tell everything, so that they would be left alone.

"Fine," Katara conceded begrudgingly, "I was thrown into the prison because I went to tell the 'Kyoshi Warriors' who turned out to be Azula and her friends, that Zuko and his uncle were in the city."

The firebender was looking at her in surprise.

"So that's how we got caught!" Zuko exclaimed, "uncle and I were wondering about that."

The others watched this exchange with interest. Katara was surprised that Zuko was surprised. But neither decided to dwell on it.

"Well, thanks to your tip," Zuko continued, "Azula sent a bogus invitation to me and Uncle to come to the Earth Palace to serve tea. Uncle was able to escape but I stayed to face Azula because I was tired of running. Then, she had the Dai Li agents throw me into the prison with Katara."

"Ok, ok, and then what?" Sokka asked, eager to know more. Toph, Suki, and Aang were all listening attentively as well.

"Then, Katara started yelling at me," Zuko said plainly, but with no ill-will.

Katara looked slightly embarrassed at this but did not protest.

"Well, what did you expect back then?" she said defensively, "I didn't know any better."

"I'm not blaming you," Zuko replied sincerely and timidly, "I'm just telling the story. But you can take it from here, I won't interrupt."

"I'm sorry, all right," Katara said, although she was ashamed of her outburst. But she knew that both she and Zuko wanted this crazy and unnecessary session to be over. It was awkward enough as it is.

"Well," she continued, "I was yelling about how I thought Zuko was an enemy and how the whole Fire Nation was so horrid, and how they took away my mother. Then, he said something about us having that in common."

"I suppose this was the time you stopped yelling," Sokka said gravely. Katara merely nodded.

"Then I apologized," Katara said in a graver tone, "and Zuko started talking about how he had changed, and how he was making his own destiny. But this was hard because his scar marked him forever as a banished prince."

She looked at him cautiously as she said this but he made no protest. And yet, she could sense that he was retreating once more into sadness and solitude as she talked about Ba Sing Se.

"Then, I offered to heal his scar with the water from the Spirit Oasis," the waterbender continued, "and that's when Aang and Iroh came in."

"Yeah, I remember that," Aang said, confirming the story eagerly. He was greatly relieved that nothing that important had transpired between Zuko and Katara that day.

"That's it?" Sokka said in a disappointed tone. Zuko and Katara nodded, giving him a look that said "so what was all the fuss about?"

Sokka turned to Toph who could not help but nod as well. They were telling the truth.

Suki and Aang were content with that and were willing to drop the matter, but the ever skeptical Sokka was still curious. He had noticed how much Katara had changed after that incident and how angry she had been at Zuko, angrier even than Aang. There had to be something more.

"You're sure you're not leaving anything out?" the suspicious brother asked.

"Sokka!" Suki scolded him.

This last question enraged Katara and annoyed Zuko, both who were so willing to just forget that painful episode in their lives.

"Oh, for goodness' sake, Sokka!" Katara exclaimed in exasperation, "just leave it alone, will you? Did you forget that that was when we almost lost Aang? Did you forget that that was when Zuko betrayed us all?"

Immediately upon uttering the final accusation, Katara realized her mistake and gasped in horror, raising her hand to her mouth, as if to stop any more foolish words from coming out. She looked apologetically at Zuko but his face was turned away from her.

The others were now between glaring at Katara and looking at the firebender in concern. Suki was berating Sokka for provoking his sister like that and the brother was suddenly remorseful.

"Zuko, I…" Katara stammered, attempting to apologize.

"She's right, you know," Zuko interrupted gravely, addressing the others, "and it's a good thing that she didn't waste that Spirit water on me otherwise Aang wouldn't have been saved."

And with that, he took his leave and walked towards the beach. Now, everyone was ashamed of what had just happened, Katara most of all. The waterbender rubbed her head in nervousness and shot an angry glance at Sokka before she followed Zuko. No one teased her about that, and they knew that they need not reprimand her for anything. She was remorseful enough.

They all decided to go to bed, hoping for the best, that all would be sorted out in the morning.

Katara found him standing alone on the shore, watching the waves crash upon the sand. Though he was standing straight and tall, there was still something extremely sad about him. He was alone.

As she approached him, she was reminded of another conversation they had recently. The roles were reversed now, though, and she wondered why a lot of their heaviest confrontations occurred close to the turbulence of the sea.

She was heartily ashamed of all she had said and she felt so sorry that she had hurt him. Ever since she had opened her heart and forgiven him for the past, she had learned how much they had in common, and she had grown extremely fond of him.

Seeing the scene in Ba Sing Se again only served to remind her that she had trusted him long ago, even before he had tried to prove himself. And now, she was sure that she cared about him a great deal and not just in the general way in which she cared about everyone.

And now, all of a sudden, it was difficult to face him, to face the fact that she had hurt him deeply, because she never took any pleasure in hurting other people. Especially him, especially now.

But she knew that they needed to clear the air. So she mustered enough courage to speak.

"I'm so sorry, Zuko," she said earnestly, "that was completely uncalled for. I was out of line. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me."

He turned to look at her, in slight surprise, but there was no anger in his gaze, which only made her feel guiltier. How could he be so understanding about this whole thing?

"It's all right, Katara," he replied gently, "you were telling the truth, and there's nothing I can do to change what happened then, no matter how much I regret it."

"But you have made up for your mistakes," she said fervently, "by coming here, teaching Aang firebending, and helping us fight your father. You have nothing to blame yourself for anymore."

"But is this enough to atone for all my crimes?" he asked, speaking more to himself than to her.

At this, she walked closer to him, and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Believe me," she told him, "you've already done more than enough. And I would have told you this earlier if I hadn't been so blinded by my anger, and you were good enough to even deal with me when I was crazy."

"You weren't crazy," he answered gently.

"But I went over the top, I think," she admitted, "but that's over now, and we have a lot of better things to look forward to."

He nodded but still did not look too convinced. She frowned at this.

"And forget about that stupid play, all right?" she reminded him, "it was horrible, anyway."

"Horribly true, at least for me," he said, still in a serious tone, "except for the part in Ba Sing Se, though. I mean, how could you ever have found me, your enemy, attractive?"

"Well, you did look rather handsome in your Earth Kingdom clothes," Katara answered quickly, without thinking.

Realizing what they had just said, they blushed and turned away in embarrassment. Zuko scolded himself for asking such as silly question while Katara berated herself for blurting out something so honest and yet embarrassing. She had not been aware of this interest in Zuko before and she was getting quite worried.

"Umm, thanks," Zuko muttered.

They laughed nervously, attempting to dismiss the unexpected exchange, trying to pretend there was nothing there. All the conflict of Katara's earlier blunder was now forgotten, replaced by a revelation that was more awkward and yet quite true.

"It's getting late," Katara said, breaking the uneasy silence, "I guess we should get some rest."

"I guess so," Zuko agreed, "but I think I'll just stay out here and think for a while, if you don't mind."

Katara nodded, no longer in the mood for any arguments. She turned and made her way back to the house. But after a few steps, she turned and watched the solitary figure by the waves.

"_I have to admit, Prince Zuko, I really find you attractive."_

The words of the actress echoed in her mind.

She could not deny that he was rather good-looking. And now that he had shown all his good qualities, she could not help but admire him, for his conviction, his courage, his strength, and so many other things.

And he had certainly shown her much respect and concern, even when she was still treating him badly.

"_I've had eyes for you since the day you first captured me."_

That wasn't necessarily true and she still cringed at the memory of that scene. And yet…

Standing there by the beach, Katara threw a retrospective glance over the whole of their acquaintance, so full of contradictions and differences. She remembered the range of emotions she had felt towards him from pity to anger, resentment to care and concern. Now, she could not be too sure of how she really felt.

Aang had kissed her earlier that night and she had not known what to say to him, how to refuse him gently. This had only added to her growing confusion. But in spite of everything, she still could not bring herself to see the Avatar as more than a dear friend and younger brother.

And as for Zuko, she had no idea what to think of him now, though she had this growing feeling at the pit of her stomach that the scene from the play was not too far from the truth. In fact, it might even have been too close for comfort.

She wrestled with this notion for a few moments, unable to move from where she stood as she tried to figure out what to do next. She was beginning to understand her own heart and yet she was not sure about how to deal with all of this.

By this time, Zuko had turned around and was about to return to the house when he noticed Katara still standing there, looking uneasy. He approached her with a look of concern.

"Katara, are you all right?" he asked gently.

She looked up at him with wide eyes, as if seeing him for the first time.

All of a sudden, she was feeling lightheaded, and seized by a strange idea, she leaned forward and kissed him.

Zuko's eyes widened in bewilderment at this and his mind went blank. Then, he stood perfectly still as he tried to process what was happening, and tried to sort out how he felt and figure out how he wanted to react.

At first, he was simply flattered by the gesture, and then he too realized the truth in the ridiculous scene of the play. His feelings were suddenly clear to him now, and the discovery of their being returned could only strengthen them further.

Why else did he care so much about her opinion of him? He realized now that there was another factor that had driven him so relentlessly to join the Avatar's group. Her, to seek her forgiveness, to gain her trust and friendship, to hope for her love.

But he had never expected her to return those feelings he had fought so hard to suppress, never dreamed that he would be deserving of her. And now, now the dream was suddenly a reality.

This was a long process for him and Katara took his hesitation and unresponsiveness as rejection. Ashamed of her foolishness, she stepped back quickly, the devastation clear in her face.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she muttered, suppressing a sob, and she ran away as fast as she could.

How could she have been so stupid as to expect him to return her feelings? After the way she had treated him, she deserved no such attention. These thoughts plagued her as she ran, blinking back tears. He was just being kind, just being a friend but there was nothing more to it.

And then she realized that this was exactly what Aang must have felt when she refused him earlier that night. Now that she knew the pain he was going through, she felt sorrier for him, although not enough for her to changer her mind. But it hurt, it hurt so badly, and she did not know how she would bear it….

"Katara, wait!"

Her train of thought was interrupted by the sound of his voice. He had easily caught up to her and had grabbed her arm and turned her towards him.

"Why did you run away?" he asked gently.

"I'm sorry," she said yet again, "it was a misunderstanding. I was being foolish, I presumed too much, I …"

Before she could continue, he pulled her towards him and kissed her, dispelling all her doubts and fears. Katara's eyes widened at the contact at first but then she warmly returned the kiss, pulling him closer to her.

She then realized that she had been fretting over nothing, that she had been mistaken about him (yet again), and that she was happier at this moment than she had ever been.

At length, they broke away from the kiss and gazed at each other in perfect understanding. They said nothing because they had learned that words only tended to confuse everything. How strange that in the span of one night they had gone from utter misery to complete bliss.

But it was not going to be that simple. Their current predicament had so many complications, complications they were now keenly aware of.

Katara leaned her head on his chest and Zuko kept his arms around her. They stayed in this tight embrace for a while, reflecting on their newfound happiness and all its difficult consequences. As tempting as it was, they knew they shouldn't be selfish.

It seemed their happiness was bought at a dear price. For there were two people who would be deeply hurt by their relationship, and neither Zuko nor Katara knew how they would break the news.

As they pondered on all this in silence, they felt torn between reveling in the wonderful truth they had just discovered and facing all the painful inconveniences it would bring about.

"It's been a long day," Katara whispered, "let's save some of the drama for another time."

Zuko nodded, and they reluctantly broke away from the embrace.

Hand in hand, with Katara leaning her head on Zuko's shoulder, they moved forward to face a new dawn together.


End file.
